גֶּשֶׁם
𐤂𐤔𐤌
geshem
H1655 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Physical body; the material or corporeal substance of a being, as distinct from the non-material or spiritual aspect. In rare instances in Biblical Aramaic, denotes the tangible body, often in contrast with the spiritual or non-corporeal. The semantic range primarily centers on the notion of physical presence and substance.
Semantic Range
body, physical body, material substance, corporeal being
Root / Etymology
Root: גּ-שׁ-ם (גשם). The root גשם in Hebrew means 'to rain, become heavy, condense.' The noun form in Hebrew (גשם) typically means 'rain,' denoting abundant or heavy rainfall. In Aramaic usage, as evidenced in biblical texts, the derived noun גֶּשֶׁם signifies physical body or substance, a semantic extension from the idea of condensation or something made substantial (as rain makes the air tangible), to the concept of bodily materiality.
Historical & Contextual Notes
גֶּשֶׁם appears in Biblical Aramaic (notably Daniel 7:11, 7:20) and denotes the tangible, material body as distinct from spirit, breath, or life force (cf. רוח, נפש). Its standard Hebrew cognate means 'rain' and is not used for 'body'; the semantic shift likely capitalizes on the base sense of concreteness or substance, moving from precipitation (in Hebrew usage) to corporeal mass (in Aramaic usage). In later post-biblical Hebrew and in Medieval Jewish philosophy, גֶּשֶׁם acquired a broader abstract sense of 'matter' or 'substance' in philosophical discussions, echoing its concrete usage as 'body.' English translations as 'body' are accurate for its biblical Aramaic usage, but they may obscure the term's metaphorical background rooted in the notion of substance or materiality. The term is not used in pre-exilic Israelite Hebrew, and its use is characteristic of the late biblical Aramaic corpus.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) apparently the same as גֶּשֶׁם; used in a peculiar sense, the body (probably for the (figuratively) idea of a hard rain); body.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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גשם (g-š-m) — rain, condense, become heavy, materialize
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1652 | גָּשַׁם | rain-causing ones |
| H1653 | גֶּשֶׁם | heavy rains |
| H1654 | גֶּשֶׁם | and to Geshem |
| H1656 | גֹּשֶׁם | her downpour |
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1655-04 |
גִּשְׁמֵ֣/הּ | gishemeh | ANcmsc/Sp3ms |
his body | his physical body | 2 |
H1655-03 |
גִּשְׁמַ֔/הּ | gishemah | ANcmsc/Sp3fs |
its body | her physical body | 1 |
H1655-01 |
בְּ/גֶשְׁמְ/ה֗וֹן | begeshemehon | AR/Ncmsc/Sp3mp |
on their bodies | in their physical body | 1 |
H1655-02 |
גֶשְׁמְ/ה֗וֹן | geshemehon | ANcmsc/Sp3mp |
their physical body | 1 | |
H1655-05 |
גשמי/הון | gshmyhvn | ANcmpc/Sp3mp |
their bodies | their material bodies | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
6 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1655-01 |
Daniel 3:27 | בְּ/גֶשְׁמְ/ה֗וֹן | begeshemehon | AR/Ncmsc/Sp3mp |
on their bodies | in their physical body |
H1655-05 |
Daniel 3:28 | גשמי/הון | gshmyhvn | ANcmpc/Sp3mp |
their bodies | their material bodies |
H1655-02 |
Daniel 3:28 | גֶשְׁמְ/ה֗וֹן | geshemehon | ANcmsc/Sp3mp |
their physical body | |
H1655-04 |
Daniel 4:30 | גִּשְׁמֵ֣/הּ | gishemeh | ANcmsc/Sp3ms |
his-body | his physical body |
H1655-04 |
Daniel 5:21 | גִּשְׁמֵ֣/הּ | gishemeh | ANcmsc/Sp3ms |
his body | his physical body |
H1655-03 |
Daniel 7:11 | גִּשְׁמַ֔/הּ | gishemah | ANcmsc/Sp3fs |
its body | her physical body |